Guys, we did it. The last days of 2014 are here. Woot! Celebrate! Goodbye 2014, you have treated me well. Hello 2015, well, aren't you looking all shiny and new.
Things that were awesome for me in 2014:
- I became even more vegan. Becoming hyper-aware of animal testing, leather, wool, and any other nasty things I want to avoid. It takes a while to learn about all of these things, so I am feeling proud that I am more vegan than ever.
- I got a shiny new Canon Rebel T3i which I have been learning how to use. Who knew I would get so excited about taking photos of food?
- It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken has been getting rather popular, (aww shucks) thanks guys. Spreading the delicious vegan word to more and more peeps every day.
Things I am looking forward to in 2015:
- Veganuary! The official month of veganism. Are you going to make this your new year resolution?
- A new kitchen. There are some serious renovations going on at my house, and I am beyond excited to have an upgraded kitchen.
- My best friend's wedding. I'm not referring to the movie, and I'm definitely not going to try to steal away the groom. (No offence Al.)
- This Creamy Red Pepper Cashew Dip... all the time... must dip... so tasty.
What better way to bring in the new year, than with deliciously healthy recipes! This recipe is entirely whole, oil free, gluten free, raw - if you soak the cashews, and you consider cashews raw (there is some debate on this). AND it takes only 10 minutes to make! Just toss everything in a blender. Great for last minute company. Most importantly, it's darn tasty. Creamy, almost cheesy, nacho-like, yum. Great with tortilla chips or fresh cut veggies.
Just toss everything into a blender. Blend, and....
Welcome to creamy deliciousness.
You can heat it up in a pot over medium-low heat, stirring frequently so it doesn't burn, or serve cold. Both ways are great.
Creamy Red Pepper Cashew Dip
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups raw cashews, soaked or boiled (see nots)
- ½ - 1 cup non-dairy milk, such as soy or almond
- ½ of a red pepper
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Add the raw cashews, ½ cup non-dairy milk, the red pepper, nutritional yeast, garlic, lemon juice, chili powder, and salt to a blender. Combine until smooth, stopping to scrape the sides as needed, and adding up to ½ cup more non-dairy milk as needed to reach desired consistency.
Notes
Nutrition
Bon Appetegan!
Sam.
Rachel Pingel says
Just wonder if the yeast is necessary? Really want to give this a try, but I lack that ingredient!
Sam Turnbull says
It gives it a cheesy taste. You can omit it but it might lack a bit of oomph!
Abby says
What if I dont have a red pepper... Is there a spice I can add? I want to try this right now but a winter storm is imminent so i don't want to hit the store :/
Sam Turnbull says
You could alternatively use an orange or yellow bell pepper if you have those. Or some cooked mashed carrot might be nice too.
Rita says
Mine also turned out runny/liquidy. I don’t think straining it will help. Any other suggestions?
Sam Turnbull says
Oh no, sorry about that! I updated the recipe so that you should prevent this problem in the future. For your current dip, you could try letting some of the moister evaporate out by bringing it to a very low simmer in a pot on the stove. Hope that helps!
Kai says
Delicious! Great recipe and great snack idea on this 3 day weekend.
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome! So happy you enjoyed 🙂
Stacey says
What about heating the dip in the oven for a hot dip? Do you think that would turn out good or do something funky to it? I was also thinking of roasting the red pepper first. The first time I made this recipe I didn’t have a red pepper so I used chipotle chili powder. It was good! I have a cuisinart food processor and I wasn’t sure how long to blend it. It seemed like it was getting creamier the longer I went but I didn’t want it to turn. I feel like I could of gone longer though. Any tips?
Yummy recipe, thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Thanks Stacey! I don't think this dip would be great hot. I would opt for my Spinach and Artichoke Dip or Nacho Cheese for a hot dip. I usually blend the dip in my Blendtec which is a beast of a blender, so I would say it's safe to blend longer. It should be very smooth and creamy. 🙂
Joey says
Non-vegan chiming in here, delicious! Maybe it's just my taste from a usual meat palette, but I went heavier on the yeast, salt, chilli powder, and I used the whole red pepper and lemon-- it turned out very much like a queso dip and I'm very happy with it. Thank you for sharing!
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome, Joey, so happy you enjoyed it! 🙂
ne-popolna says
Hey! Thank you for the amazing recipes! You are real inspiration!
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome 🙂
Jonelle says
I'm just wondering what no dairy milk is best to use?
Sam Turnbull says
Any unsweetened non-dairy milk will do. My go-to's are soy or almond milk 🙂
Lin says
it looks so yummy! i live alone.. how long can it be kepted in the fridge^?
Sam Turnbull says
I think it would keep for about a week when kept in an air-tight container in the fridge. It makes a great sandwich spread as well. Enjoy!
Marissa says
Hi,
I just made this and it came out very runny, how would you suggest to thicken it?
Sam Turnbull says
Hmmm, I've never had that happen before. Maybe drain it with cheesecloth?
Ronna Staley says
Just wondering- why add yeast?
Sam Turnbull says
Nutritional yeast is not the same as the yeast used in bread. It has no rising properties and is often used for flavouring in vegan cooking as it has a nutty cheesy taste. Check out my Top Vegan Pantry Staples to learn more about it and other cool vegan flavourings 🙂
Allison says
Hi there! Follower here!! I was curious if this by chance turns brown after a couple hours of being left out? I made a cashew cream ambrosia for a party one time and was mortified when the white looking cream quickly turned brown and looked very unappetizing. I definitely plan on making the spinach artichoke dip but would like to also maybe try this. Thanks in advance for any input!!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Allison,
Ooof that sounds awful! I think this dip should be just fine... although it probably won't last that long anyways 😉
brenda says
I wonder how it would be as a salad dressing. Have you tried it?
Sam says
It's very thick, so you would need to thin it out but I am sure it would be very tasty!
Jill says
Could you use cashew butter as a substitute?
Sam says
Hi Jill, no you can't. For cashew butter the cashews have been processed to the point where they release their oil. Here the cashews are softened and then whipped into a fluff. The resulting texture is totally different, and if you tried to substitute I don't think you would get very good results. Hope that helps!
Laura says
Just made this - love it! I have a pretty decent blender but it's not the best that's out there so I have had to run it a couple minutes at a time and give it a break here and there. Letting my blender rest one more time before giving it one final spin. Everytime I taste it between blends it keeps getting better and better. We're having BBQ bean burritos for dinner (vegan of course) and I can't wait to use this as a "sour cream" on mine! Thanks for another winner 🙂
Sam says
Yay! So happy you loved it Laura. Oh how yummy, I want to make burritos now, just so I can top them with this! Good idea!
suzi says
this sounds like it would be perfect on warm pasta… yum!
Sam says
Ooo I've never tried that! Sounds delish! If you give it a go, let us know how it turns out. 😀
Kate says
this was SO delicious. Took dip to work, and co-workers DO NOT believe this is not made with sour cream and mayo. "It's too creamy!", "it's too smoothe", "It is NOT nuts---You're nuts!" I have eaten this as my paste sauce over kamut noodles, as a dip for my veggies, as a dip for my pretzels and enjoyed every bite. Thank you for this!
Sam says
Hi Kate!
Yay! So very happy you loved the recipe so much 😀
I love giving vegan food to people who assume it should taste like cardboard, and then blowing them away! So fun! Thank you for coming back and leaving this lovely comment.
Sam
Kathy Sturr says
YUM!
Samantha Turnbull says
I know, right!?
Anonymous says
Trying tonight with the hubby for our first ever vegan-appy night along with your Cauliflower Hot Things and our own Garlic Mushroom French Bread! Been loving all the things you post...you are definitely making this Vegan transition tastier AND easier than we thought it would be!! Thanks and blessings!!
Brandalynn Ann says
P.S. We made it, we ate it, we LOVED it!
Samantha Turnbull says
Yay!! So glad you loved it!
Samantha Turnbull says
Ooo garlic mushroom french bread sounds divine!!! So happy you are finding the transition easy and tasty, and super happy that my recipes are helping! Comments like these make my day. 🙂
Meredith @ Unexpectedly Magnificent says
This looks delicious! I love red peppers, I love cashews, and I love dip. Win-win-win! 🙂
Congrats on accomplishing so much this year! I hope you have a happy and healthy New Year.
Samantha Turnbull says
Thank you Meredith! And thank you more, I just noticed that you were the top commenter of the year! I wish you a very happy and healthy New Year as well 🙂